The Caller

I’ve been doing call-in talk radio for more than 20 years. I’ve never had to use the delay or “dump” button. Callers have, for the most part, been considerate, compassionate, and kind. Some have been upset, angry, and agitated, but have always conducted themselves with respect and a sense of decorum.

That changed yesterday on my program, Chris Fabry Live. A man called to tell a story that I thought illustrated the topic of the show. The story turned out to be gross and profane.

I was shocked. All of those working behind the scenes were shocked. So much so that I wasn’t able to give the cue in time to dump the content of the call.

Earlier in the hour I said that I felt two words rising to the surface of my life in the past few days. The first was opposition. The second was kindness. I mentioned this long before we took that call.

Opposition comes in many forms. An opposing force can defeat your, bowl you over, or make you stronger for the fight. Opposition seeks to disarm you and defeat you. The caller represented this opposing force well.

After the call I tried to simply move on with the program, not knowing exactly what was on the air and what wasn’t. It was clear after a few minutes that people did hear the offending remark and I felt like I had to say something about it.

In the closing moments, a lot of people ran through my mind. The mom driving her kids home from school. The dad doing the same. The elderly woman who listens every day for encouragement. The station managers who trust us to protect their listeners from such outrageous and offensive material.

And then I thought of that man. He sounded young. He sounded nervous. What happened in his life to make him think this would be funny? Is he angry with the church for some reason? Is he angry at God? Does he even believe God exists? When I began to think of him, instead of anger and vitriol, I felt very sad for him. And I tried to be kind. And many of our listeners wrote and mentioned this—that the offensive, crude and undignified remarks were handled in a way that treated the caller as a person who needed God’s grace. Who am I to withhold grace when I’ve received so much of it?

So if you think of the gentleman who called and start getting angry, pray for him. Pray that God’s grace and mercy will overwhelm him and that he will become a trophy of that grace.